The Mysterious Island Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 43 Captain Grant's Children (43)
The charitable deeds of Glenarvan and his party moved the aborigines very much.They came up one after another and surrounded the group of people, chattering non-stop, and their voices were very melodious.Looking at their gestures, there are also the words "Nuoji, Nuoji", which seems to mean "give me, give me".But no matter what they saw, they were always chattering.Mr. Aubine was worried that they would grab the food on the ox cart, so he watched the food closely and guarded the side of the luggage compartment.

When the aborigines saw the food on the ox cart, their eyes widened, showing greed and fear.Those white teeth are very sharp, showing a horrifying cold light, as if they have eaten human flesh before, which is even more frightening.In fact, Australian aborigines usually don't eat human flesh; but when there is a vendetta between tribes, when the killing is red-hot, they only eat the flesh of the enemy.

Sir Glenarvan followed Mrs. Helen's suggestion and sent someone to distribute some food to the aborigines.The aborigines also knew about their charitable actions, and immediately made a variety of rich expressions, which also moved these foreign travelers.But they swarmed up, shouting, like wild animals in cages seeing their masters coming to feed them.

Mr. Aubinet, who still knew the manners of a man and the etiquette of society, distributed the food to the women first.It's a pity that these aboriginal women didn't take the favor, and let their men eat first.Their men then pounced on them like hungry tigers, struggling to grab the dried meat and biscuits.

Miss Mary Grant on the side thought of her father. If it really fell into the hands of these uncivilized aborigines, she must have been tortured, worked like a cow, starved, and shed tears unconsciously.Seeing this scene, Captain John Mengel felt very uneasy when he knew what Miss Mary was thinking, so he hurriedly asked Ayrton:
"Ayrton, did you escape from such natives?"

"Captain, yes. The aborigines in the Australian outback are almost in this situation. But what you see now is just a small group of poor people. You know, there are many large tribes stationed on both sides of the Darling River , the tribal chief holds supreme power."

"Then, when the natives have captured the Europeans, what are they going to do with the Europeans?"

"Only do what you can do! Such as hunting and fishing with the natives; if you fight with them, they will reward you for your merits. Anyway, as long as you do well and are brave and smart, you will never suffer! "

"Still a prisoner, then?" asked Miss Mary Grant.

"Yes, you must always be watched. If you are closely guarded during the day or night, there is really no way to escape!"

"But you escaped, didn't you?" the major interrupted immediately.

"Mr. McNabbs, yes. I was there when the tribe was at war with the neighboring tribes, and the situation was chaotic, and I escaped. However, I don't regret my life there at all. If it happens again, I will I would rather be a slave for the rest of my life than take the risk of crossing the inland desert to suffer those inhuman sufferings. Now I hope that God will bless Captain Grant and never try to escape."

"Yes!" replied Captain John Mengel, and turning to Miss Grant, "Miss Mary, we all hope that your father is still with the natives, so that he won't run around in the inland desert or forest. We can easily find him, too."

"You always thought that we could find my father?"

"Miss Mary, yes, I have always thought so. I hope God bless you and my father to meet again happy day!"

With tears in her eyes, Miss Mary expressed her deep gratitude to Captain Menger.

Suddenly, the natives became inexplicably agitated.Holding their weapons, they shouted and ran frantically in all directions.Sir Glenarvan was so strange that the major hurriedly stopped Ayrton and asked:

"You have lived among the Australian aborigines for so long, you can understand what they say!"

"I can only understand some! This is because each tribe has its own native language. But from the conversation of the natives, I can guess some meanings. Just now, they wanted to perform a fight to thank you. .”

Ayrton was right that their commotion was meant to be a fight of thanks.These natives didn't speak, and started fighting directly.They fought very realistically, and the two sides fought very hotly; if you didn't know that this was a fighting show in advance, you would really think they were fighting.

The offensive and defensive weapons used by these aborigines in fighting are some heavy wooden mallets.If hit the head, the head will be beaten to pieces.They also carried a stone ax as a weapon.The handle of this stone ax is ten feet long, and a solid stone is sandwiched between two wooden sticks.This stone ax is also a tool, which can be used not only to chop off people's heads, but also to cut tree trunks and branches.

While waving their weapons, the natives made the sound of fighting.While they were fighting each other, some fell to the ground and pretended to be dead, and some shouted out cheers of victory, just like a real fight, and the intensity was frightening.This fight lasted for a full ten minutes.Afterwards, both sides ceased fighting, dropped their weapons, and stood motionless, as if calling a curtain call to the audience.These travelers who were spectators were wondering at first for some reason, but soon understood everything.It turned out that a group of big parrots were flying here, circling around the top of the rubber tree.I saw their colorful feathers like a rainbow floating in the air.Afterwards, the aborigines performed hunting, which was more interesting than fighting.The performer was an aborigine; he first picked up a strange red object, left his companions, and crawled quietly among the bushes alone without making any sound.After walking a certain distance, he aimed at the target and threw out the object in his hand.It was seen that the object flew parallel to the ground at a distance of two feet from the ground.After flying more than ten meters, the object suddenly turned its head upwards, killing more than a dozen parrots in a series; after that, it returned to the feet of the aborigines in a parabola.

Jazz and his companions were dumbfounded, while Ayrton explained: "That strange object is called a 'boomerang'."

"Ah! 'Boomerang'! This is the fabled treasure weapon of the Australians - the 'Boomerang'." Paganel exclaimed, and then hurried over, picked up the weapon, like a child Observing with the same curiosity, I looked back and forth for a long time.

Paganel saw that this weapon called a "boomerang" had no hidden mechanism inside, and its structure was quite simple.Just a piece of bent hardwood three or four feet long, three inches thick in the middle, with pointed ends, one of which is recessed to a depth of seventy or eighty centimeters; , two sharp edges.

"This is the 'boomerang' I heard before?" Paganel examined it carefully, and murmured after a long time: "Actually, it's just a piece of wood! How can it fly flat? How could it rise suddenly and turn back quickly? Now many scholars and travelers can’t explain the reason.”

"Is this like throwing a hoop, throwing it with some force and making it return to the starting point?" asked Captain Mengel.

"It may be a return effect," added Sir Glenarvan. "It's the same as billiards. If you hit a point on a billiard ball, it will turn around and come back."

"No, it's not right!" Paganel said, "You know, whether it is throwing a hoop or playing billiards, it is a certain point of force that is counterproductive. The point of force in throwing the hoop is the ground, and the point of force in playing billiards is the opposite. It's a table; but the 'boomerang' never touches the ground, so it has no point of focus, but it suddenly goes up."

"Mr. Paganel, what's your opinion?" Madame Helene asked.

"Although I can't say clearly, there are two things I must be sure of. One is that the way of throwing is peculiar, and the other is that the structure of the 'boomerang' itself is also very peculiar. This peculiar throwing method is exactly what Australian aborigines have. The stunt!"

"But no matter how you say it, it's enough to see that these aborigines are full of wisdom...how can you regard them as 'strange monkeys'?" Madam Helen said, and then looked at the major beside him; the major's expression remained the same. Unconvinced, he kept shaking his head.

At this time, Sir Glenarvan felt that he had stayed here too long and should continue walking eastward.Just as he was about to tell Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant to get into the ox cart, a native suddenly rushed over and said a few words with excitement.

"He said they saw some more emus," translated Ayrton at once.

"Go on hunting?" Sir Glenarvan asked.

"Let's go and have a look, it must be exciting! I must use that 'boomerang' weapon again!" Paganel said excitedly.

"Ayrton, what do you think?"

"Sir, it won't take long!"

These aborigines were nimble and quick, and they arranged everything for hunting in a short while, and everything was ready.Because for them, hitting an emu is a grand and happy event!One emu is enough to feed an entire tribe for days!Therefore, they all use the determination that is inevitable to catch this kind of big prey.

Emu is also called "combless cassowary", and the aborigines call it "mulaoke". This kind of bird is very rare on the Australian plains.They were about five feet high, with a horny horn on their head, light brown eyes, a black and hooked beak, strong toes with sharp claws, and wings with only two stubs, without The way to fly in the air, but the speed of running on the ground is very fast.The feathers are fur-like, with darker hairs on the neck and chest.This kind of big bird runs faster than a horse, so it can only be captured intelligently.

At this moment, Jazz and his party heard a shout from the aborigine who reported just now; after that, more than a dozen aborigines dispersed like stormtroopers.Sir Glenarvan and his companions were now in a clump of mimosa trees, watching what was happening.

As soon as the dozen or so emus saw the natives approaching, they immediately fled in all directions; after running for a mile, the emus hid again.The hunter who reported found out where they were hiding, and quickly gestured to his companions to lie on the ground first and not make any moves.Afterwards, the hunter took out a few carefully sewn emu skin heads from the net bag he carried with him, and put them on his body; after that, he raised his arms high above his head, imitating the usual An emu foraging for food.

The hunter imitated like this, walking towards the group of emus, stopping from time to time, pretending to be looking for food; sometimes he used his feet to fly up the dust on the ground, and let the dust cover himself.His movements are exactly like those of an emu, and his performance is really lifelike; from time to time, he makes a cry like an emu, which is really lifelike, just like the cry of a real emu.As expected, the group of emus was so confused, and went straight to the hunters without any warning.The hunter had quick eyes and quick hands, and moved quickly. With lightning speed, he swung the big mallet and hit five of the six emus with a bang.

The hunter was successful and had a good harvest; thus the hunt was over.

This wonderful hunting activity also made Sir Glenarvan and his companions very happy; but seeing that it was getting late, it was not appropriate to stay for a long time; they could only wave goodbye to the natives, and then the team continued to walk eastward.

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Jazz and his party continued to walk along the east longitude 146°15′, and camped in a place at night and spent the night safely.On the second day, at seven o'clock in the morning on January 1, the team walked eastward on this vast plain.Sometimes, the team will encounter a series of meandering rivers; some of these rivers have water, and some are dry and dry; boxwood trees grow on the banks of the rivers.The birthplace of these rivers is a mountain that is not too high. This mountain is called Bison Mountain.From a distance, the mountains undulate like waves, and the scenery is very beautiful.

Jazz and his party decided to camp at the foot of the mountain that night.Ayrton whipped his whip high and urged the ox cart to move forward, covering thirty-five miles in one day.

This evening, it was Paganel's turn to be on duty.When he was on patrol, he carried a gun and strode around the tent to prevent him from dozing off.

This night, there is no moon in the night sky.But the night in the southern hemisphere is very bright because of the twinkling of stars.Nature is asleep in the silence; now and then the sound of tripping ropes on horses' feet breaks the silence of the night sky.

Paganel looked up at the starry sky, unconsciously fascinated by the dream of the night, and his heart flew to the sky lightly.

Suddenly, he heard an abnormal sound from the distant sky, his heart skipped a beat, and he returned to real life from the hazy dream.He listened intently, and was amazed to hear the music that sounded like a piano.Not long after, a few more strong rhythmic, high-pitched sound waves came, shaking his eardrums.

He discerned carefully and felt that all this was not a dream, so he murmured to himself:

"How strange! This is the wilderness, how can there be a piano sound? It's incredible!"

This is indeed a strange thing.Paganel wondered, is there a strange bird in Australia that sings like a piano?
After a while, that burst of crisp and moving singing appeared in the night sky again.Now it's pianist plus vocalist!Listening to it, Paganel couldn't believe his ears. He could hear a famous song, and it was the opera "Don Juan". "Don Juan" was a masterpiece of the famous Austrian composer Mozart (1756-1791).part of it!
"It's incredible!" Paganel thought, "Even if the birds in Australia are so strange, they can't sing Mozart's famous songs!"

While listening quietly, Paganel searched carefully for the source of the sound.In the silent late night, it is really a joy to have such beautiful and melodious music to accompany me!It seems that only in the fairyland on earth can you hear this wonderful fairy music!

After a while, the singing also disappeared, and nature fell asleep in the silent night sky again.

When Wilson came to take over, Paganel was still in a state of ecstasy.He felt that he should withhold the discovery, the plan not to tell Sir Glenarvan until after dawn.After the shift change, he got into the tent and fell asleep soundly.

In the early morning of the second day, a burst of barking dogs awakened Jazz and his party from their dreams.Sir Glenarvan rose hastily, and saw two very handsome hounds bouncing up and down by the bushes.When people approached it, the two dogs burrowed into the bushes, but the barking became more fierce.

"Is there a livestock station in this wilderness?" Sir Glenarvan said. "It seems that since there are hounds, there must be hunters."

Paganel was about to tell Sir Glenarvan that he had heard the sound of the piano while on duty late at night, but everyone saw two young men walking towards this side on two thoroughbred horses.

These two young men were dressed in neat and beautiful hunting suits, with the air of an aristocratic gentleman.When the two of them saw this group of travelers, they immediately reined in their horses and stopped.Their expressions also seemed very strange, how could there be a fully armed person here?At this time, Mrs. Helen and Miss Grant got out of the ox cart.

Seeing this, the two young men hurried off their horses, took off their hats, put them in their hands, and strode towards the two ladies.

Sir Glenarvan also hastened to meet him.He thought he was a foreigner, so he introduced himself first.After the two young people listened, they quickly bowed and saluted; among them, the older young people were the first to welcome:
"Dear sir, welcome here. Welcome to my humble house. If you go to sit for a while, it will definitely make the humble house flourish!"

"Excuse me, gentlemen..." asked Sir Glenarvan.

"My name is Michelle Patterson, and this is my cousin, Sandy Patterson, and we are both owners of Hotan Station. Now you are in the area of ​​this station, and you are not half a mile from the humble house! "

"Thanks to the kind invitation of the two gentlemen, we really dare not disturb."

"Dear Sir," Michelle Patterson said, "It is our honor if you are willing to come to the humble house to watch. In fact, we are strangers, and it is a kind of fate to be able to meet here!"

Seeing that he could not refuse, Sir Glenarvan agreed.

"Dear sir, I'm sorry to ask. Last night, I heard the famous piece by the famous and talented musician Mozart. Did you play it?" Paganel asked Michel Paterson.

"Yes, sir, it's me! I'm accompanied by my cousin Sandy," Michelle said.

"Now, sir, please allow me, as a lover of this song, a Frenchman to praise you sincerely!"

As Paganel spoke, he shook the young gentleman's hand, and the other shook hands politely.Afterwards, Michele pointed to a road on the right and invited everyone to his house.The horses of the procession were entrusted to the care of Ayrton and the other sailors.

So, under the leadership of this gentleman, Jazz and his party walked towards Huotan Station while chatting and watching the beautiful scenery along the way.

This is a beautiful estate.The layout of the garden is as orderly as an English park.Gray fences enclose the endless pastures in large blocks; there are countless cattle and sheep chewing grass on the pastures.There are many shepherds and sheepdogs guarding the side.There are cows lowing, sheep and bleating everywhere, dogs barking and whipping, and there is a lively charm.

(End of this chapter)